Cameron promises referendum on future EU changes

David Cameron promised today to change the law so that no further powers could be transferred to Brussels without the approval of the British people in a referendum.

The Tory leader acknowledged that his campaign for a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty was over after it was signed by all 27 members of the European Union.

But he went on: "We will make sure that this never, ever happens again.

"Never again should it be possible for a British government to transfer power to the European Union without the say of the British people in a referendum."

Mr Cameron said that the Tories' campaign for a UK referendum on the Lisbon Treaty was over after the Czech Republic became the final EU member state to sign the document yesterday.

"It's no longer a treaty, it's been incorporated into EU law," he said, adding that the new posts of president and foreign minister were now being created.

"We cannot hold a referendum and magically make those posts or the Lisbon Treaty itself disappear, any more than we could hold a referendum to stop the sun rising in the morning," he went on.

He said that people would "resent" the fact that there would not be the referendum that was promised by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

A Conservative government would amend the European Communities Act 1972 to prohibit the transfer of power to the EU without a referendum.

That would cover any future attempt to take Britain into the European single currency, he said.

"We will give the British people a referendum lock to which only they should hold the key, a commitment very similar to that which exists in Ireland," Mr Cameron added.

"This is a major constitutional development, but I believe it's now the only way to reassure the British people that powers cannot be given away without their explicit approval in a referendum."

Mr Cameron said he wanted to give the British people a "referendum lock to which only they should hold the key", and called on other parties to back the proposal.

He also addressed concerns within his own party that a vote would not be held on Lisbon.

"I recognise there are some who, now that we cannot have a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, want a referendum on something else... anything else.

"But I just don't think it's right to concoct some new pretext for a referendum simply to have one for the sake of it. That wouldn't survive serious scrutiny."

He went on: "Would we really want to turn round straight after an election, with the public finances in the state they are in and the economy as fragile as it is, and ask the same question all over again?

"A made-up referendum might make people feel better for five minutes but my job is to put together a plan that lasts five years, and I don't think a phoney referendum should play any part in that."

Mr Cameron set out plans for negotiating a return of powers to Britain from the EU, including over social and employment legislation, the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and on criminal justice.

He insisted the Tories would not rush into a "massive Euro-bust-up", and stressed that the situation was "complex".

"I recognise, of course, that taking back power in these areas, or negotiating arrangements that suit the UK, is not something we can do unilaterally," Mr Cameron said.

"It means changing the rules of an institution of which we are a member - changing rules that Britain has signed up to.

"If we want to make changes, we will need to do that through negotiation with our European partners, and we will need the agreement of all 27 member states."